Gonzales pushes for renewal of Patriot Act

WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Sunday that bombings in London and Egypt make a strong case for renewing the post-9-11 law that critics say infringes on civil liberties.

Gonzales also credited the Patriot Act with preventing a follow-up to the domestic terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001, that killed nearly 3,000 people, mostly in New York and Washington.

The House voted 257-171 last week to extend the law indefinitely but limit to 10 years two of its most debated provisions: allowing federal agents to use roving wiretaps and to search library and medical records. Those provisions are set to expire at the end of the year.

The Senate Judiciary Committee cleared its own extension of the law and called for Congress to re-examine the wiretap and library provisions after four years.

The full Senate is likely to vote on its version of the bill in the fall.